Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Joseph watched Lydia and her sisters run like small children through the corridors of Briarwood House as if they'd been away from their beloved home for years. He was there because he'd helped the Carters enjoy an easier ride from Winstone House by offering an extra carriage for their comfort.

William and Joseph were still rather awkward with each other as the viscount wrestled with his feelings about William's secret affair. So the two men steered clear of each other for now and rode in different carriages.

Truth be told, Joseph simply wanted a chance to spend more time with Lydia. And she wanted him to visit her home before the wedding, since he had never been to Briarwood House before.

Where Winstone House had bright white walls and white marble everywhere, Briarwood House featured comforting earth tones and lots of natural wood. It felt much more like a country home than what he was used to, and he loved it. Joseph felt at ease in the new surroundings as Lydia, Eleanor, and Charlotte took him on a tour.

There was no art gallery at Briarwood, but the art collection throughout the house included wonderful landscape paintings and many bronze statues.

And the library was something to behold. It was twice the size of the one at Winstone House. Joseph could tell Lydia was proud of this room most of all.

Eleanor twirled in the library and then plopped down on an overstuffed wingback chair. "This is where Lydia disappears to a hundred times a day, my lord. Or perhaps she never leaves it?"

Charlotte smiled and hugged Lydia from behind before sitting next to Eleanor in a matching chair. "Lydia's best friends have always been books and I've finally grown to understand that. Books never make you wait for a ring."

Eleanor rolled her eyes. "You and George have only been courting for a week, Charlotte! A man needs time to develop regard for a woman, does he not, Lord Winstone?"

Joseph leaned against the doorframe of the Briarwood library and grinned. "Some of us fall in love much quicker than others." He winked at Lydia, who blushed and tried to change the subject.

"My sisters are being unusually kind to me this evening, my lord. And they are right. I have retreated to this room, and to these books, more often than not over the years. I will miss it when I no longer live here anymore." Lydia sighed and ran a hand along one of the shelves.

Joseph's smile faded as more worry crept into his mind about Lydia's feelings about marriage. "Then we shall make sure you are here as often as you want. Would you like that?"

Lydia turned toward him again and smiled. "There will always be more books to buy or borrow, Lord Winstone. But there is only one you. That is what I want the most."

He felt his heart pound and his loins stir as Lydia batted her long eyelashes at him. The sounds of her sisters groaning in response made him laugh.

"Please spare us the romantic swoons, Lydia! I'm going to die of jealousy right here in this chair!" Charlotte pretended to whine as her eyes glistened with what looked like true happiness for her sister's good fortune.

"Yes, we need to distract these two lovebirds. Let's have a card game before dinner! Beware, my lord. The Carter sisters are ruthless at Commerce!"

After a few rounds of the gambling game and a hearty dinner with the Carter family, Joseph was settled into one of the guest rooms when someone knocked on the door. He got up slowly to answer it due to the scrapes and bruises still healing from his recent falls.

A footman held up a silver tray with a sealed letter on it. "This just arrived for you from Winstone House, my lord, by carriage."

Joseph's eyebrows knitted together as he studied the outside of the letter, but it didn't give any clues as to who it might be from. "Thank you. Is the carriage still here?"

"I believe so, my lord."

Joseph dismissed the footman and cracked the letter's wax seal to read the brief message inside.

Viscount Winstone, we have a terrible problem that needs solving quickly!

I have come by carriage to speak with you, if that is possible.

Please meet me by the hidden pond in the Briarwood gardens tonight if you can get away!

– B.K.

Joseph yanked on his boots and dashed out of his bed chamber door. He raced down the main staircase of Briarwood House as quietly as possible, then told a footman where he was going in case Lydia needed him. But there was no time to wake her and ask if she wanted to come with him to meet Bridget. He would take care of whatever the maid needed and then ask one of the Briarwood maids to find her a comfortable place to sleep for the night.

As he sprinted past the carriage Miss Kelly had arrived in, Joseph wondered where the coachman who drove her had disappeared to. He was probably securing a place for the horses at Briarwood stables for the night, and perhaps a bed for himself, too. It was far too late to take an unescorted young lady all the way back to Winstone House.

In fact, it was far too late to bring her to the Briarwood home in the first place, but he would have that conversation with Bridget after he learned whatever was troubling her.

With instructions from a footman as to where he would find the pond, Joseph carried a lit lantern and made his way through the back gardens until he saw a footbridge. "Miss Kelly? Are you out here?"

Joseph waited a few seconds, then smiled when he heard the familiar call of an excited crow.

"Ca-CAW! Ca-CAW!"

He laughed despite his frustration and concern about Miss Kelly's late visit. He followed the sound of her voice into a clearing by the pond and then stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't Bridget making those crow sounds. It was Wilhelmina Underwood. And standing next to her, holding a lantern of his own, was Lord Triton.

Miss Kelly was nowhere in sight.

"Good evening, Lord Winstone. And many happy returns on your pending nuptials. Though I do believe you'll change your mind about marrying Lydia Carter once you learn what we've come to tell you. You remember Lord Triton, of course." Wilhelmina was dressed again in all black, which made her pale skin under the moonlight seem like that of a ghost.

Or a very wicked witch.

Lord Triton scowled at Joseph in the lamplight. "He remembers me, alright. I'm the man who threw him off a balcony for speaking ill of my late wife."

Joseph tried to keep calm as rage boiled through his bloodstream. "That's not how I remember it, Triton. But I don't expect truth to come from either of your mouths, so there's no point in listening to whatever you came here to say. You will leave at once or I will awaken Lord Briarwood and have you thrown off his land."

Lord Triton stepped forward with his free hand in a tight fist, but Miss Underwood stopped him by touching his arm.

"Andrew, wait. Tell the viscount what you know about Lydia." Wilhelmina gazed up at Lord Triton with softer eyes than what she aimed at Joseph.

"Andrew? Are you and Lord Triton so close that you're on a first-name basis, Miss Underwood? And if that's the case, why keep trying to separate Lydia and me?" Joseph set the lantern down in the grass and folded his arms across his chest. "You do know that Miss Underwood has propositioned me more than once, right Andrew?"

"Enough!" Lord Triton shoved Wilhelmina behind him after grabbing the papers she held in her arms, then shook the pages in Joseph's face. "Your little hellion fiancée has been supporting a radical farmers' rights organization in secret. She has been spreading foul propaganda about the Lords of Parliament and their alleged ill-treatment of tenant farmers working their estates. We have proof in these documents that Lydia Carter is a menace to society and a traitor against England. What do you say to that, Winstone?"

Joseph ripped the pages from Lord Triton's hand and threw them to the ground. "How dare you make such ludicrous accusations about my soon-to-be wife, Triton! I don't care about your so-called proof, because I know Lydia's heart and I trust her actions, whatever they may be. So, your plan to divide us has failed again. And I expected more from you, Triton. To fall for whatever Miss Underwood has promised you makes you a hopeless fool. But not even she deserves the kind of treatment you reserve for your mates, so I hope the two of you will part ways immediately and never trifle with either me or Lydia again."

Joseph didn't wait for the unwanted guests to protest or try to convince him why Wilhelmina would make a better wife than Lydia. Or that Lydia should be punished for her efforts to help tenant farmers—which, if true, made him love her all the more.

He leaned down and scooped up the lantern handle in one hand and the clipped pages in the other before sprinting back through the gardens toward Briarwood House.

As Lord Triton hollered that he would be filing a formal complaint against Lydia, Joseph ran as fast as he could in case the man came after him. When he got close to one of the doors behind the house, he ran right into a tiny redhead who suddenly appeared from the bushes.

Joseph and Bridget tumbled to the ground, but he managed to keep his lantern upright and undamaged.

"Miss Kelly! What the bloody hell are you doing here? Did you ride with Miss Underwood and Lord Triton?" Joseph pulled himself up off the ground with a loud groan, then helped Bridget to her feet.

"Heavens, no! I rode in the back of Mr. Phillip's wagon. He's one of the gardeners at Winstone House and offered to bring me here when I told him what Miss Underwood was planning. I heard them talking, my lord. They were saying terrible things about Lady Lydia and I could not let them get away with it!" Bridget dusted off her plain gray frock and tucked a loose red curl behind her ear.

"I fear there's nothing you can do to help, Miss Kelly, but it does my heart good to know how loyal you have become to Lady Lydia so quickly. We are both very grateful to you for that." Joseph brushed dirt and grass off his own clothes and sighed. "Just when I think things are settled, we have Miss Underwood and her merry men to deal with again."

Bridget started giggling, then broke into a bout of loud laughter that carried on the breeze.

"Miss Kelly, what has gotten into you?" Joseph's puzzled look shifted from Miss Kelly to a shadow approaching from the house.

Lydia tiptoed in her robe to where Joseph and Bridget were standing. "I'd like to know, as well! What is going on out here?"

Joseph opened his mouth to answer, but looking at Lydia made him speechless. His eyes roamed up from her bare feet to the silky dark hair that cascaded down her shoulders. Her robe was opened at the chest just enough for him to see the shape of her breasts through her nightdress and how hard her thick nipples had become in the chilly night air.

"My lord, are you listening to me? Do you care to explain what we're all doing in the garden long after dark?" Lydia gazed at him above the light of the lantern with the sparkle of amusement in her eyes as Joseph moved his focus from her body to her face.

"I think I can speak for the viscount while he collects himself, my lady." Bridget giggled again, then launched into a recap of what had happened as if she'd been watching from the bushes. And apparently, she had.

When she finished, Bridget took a deep breath as Lydia's eyes widened with shock and fear.

"Bridget, you sneaky little spy. She's right, Lydia. Miss Underwood and Lord Triton have teamed up and were here to expose you for helping tenant farmers by spreading lies about their treatment. I told them that couldn't possibly be true and that I supported you. Is it true that you joined a tenants' rights organization?"

Lydia bit her lip and shivered in her thin robe and nightgown. "Joseph, please, let me explain. They are manipulating the facts to serve their purpose! I was going to tell you about the tenant farmers I have wanted to help, but I did no such thing as spread lies about the Lords of England. I merely wanted to raise attention to the plight of the farmers who are barely surviving on our lands.

"They deserve our help! I just wanted to find out what others were doing to make things right. So I attended one meeting and hid in the back. That is all, I promise you. But you should know that I did intend to get more involved, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I still hope to do so in the future. I cannot stand by while people in our care are suffering! Could you?" Lydia reached out to take his hands, and he held fast to hers.

"Of course not, my love. Thank you for telling me and for being the kind of person who cares so much. I will help in any way I can with that cause, but for now, my biggest concern is your safety. I don't know why Miss Underwood and Lord Triton want to destroy us, but they seem determined to take their lies to Parliament and accuse you of traitorous activities."

Before Lydia could respond, Bridget started giggling again. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about Miss Underwood and Lord Triton, my lord. We've got them right where we want them!"

Joseph and Lydia both raised their eyebrows and exchanged a confused look.

"Whatever could you mean, Bridget?" Lydia shivered in the night air and wrapped her robe more tightly around her body, much to Joseph's chagrin.

"As I believe I told you, Lady Lydia, my family has worked for the Winstones for many years. We have mastered the art of collecting more information than income. I have listened at more thresholds and windows over the past fortnight than you care to know about, I'm sure. You might even be shocked by how many secrets people revealed when I was standing right beside them! But that's because people tend to think of the help as inconsequential. They'd be very wrong."

Joseph shifted from one leg to the other as his body aches started growing in intensity again. "Miss Kelly, though I agree that our staff members deserve the utmost respect, please get the point. What do you know that we don't?"

Bridget's grin was so wide her pearly teeth practically glowed in the dark. "Just yesterday, after your announcement in the orangery, I overheard a whispered conversation between Miss Underwood and Lord Triton that was so scandalous it will finally put an end to your recent troubles! I learned that Miss Underwood has been Lord Triton's mistress for years, but he refuses to marry her because her bloodline lacks nobility. But there's more." Bridget giggled again, then continued. "Miss Underwood is with child—and it's Lord Triton's baby! She was desperate to marry you, Lord Winstone, before her pregnancy started to show. It seems Lord Triton refuses to take responsibility for the child, but he agreed to help Miss Underwood secure a match that would transfer that responsibility to another man."

Lydia's mouth had dropped open in the middle of Bridget's speech and her face was still full of disbelief. "Upon my word, I almost feel sorry for Miss Underwood if all of that is true. Are you sure you heard them correctly, Bridget?"

"Completely certain, my lady. Miss Underwood and Lord Triton have been scheming together to make her a viscountess and never have to reveal their relationship. I suppose harming Lydia's reputation was going to be helpful, but I have a feeling that was more about Lord Triton wanting to get under Lord Winstone's skin."

Joseph sighed and scrubbed a hand through his sand-colored hair. "I think you're right, Miss Kelly. And you have earned your pay and a very large bonus tonight! I think I can speak for both of us when I say how much we appreciate you and your help. Though we're going to have a talk later about your eavesdropping at Winstone House, I, for one, will never underestimate you again!"

Lydia grew teary and pulled Bridget into a long embrace. "I agree, Bridget! What would we have done without you?"

"I am at your service, my lord and lady! Always." Bridget sniffled as she and Lydia pulled apart. Then her big blue eyes popped wide open as she gasped. "Wait! We still don't know who stole your satchel, my lady!"

Joseph held up the bundled pages in his hands and gave them a shake. "We do, actually. Miss Underwood is the culprit. I know that because she sent the satchel to me without its contents, but I believe we now have the contents right here. I've only glanced as these documents, but I did see a page of notes about your discoveries, Lady Lydia." He winked at his fiancée and tucked the pages under his arm.

"Oh, that is wonderful, my lord! But what if Miss Underwood made copies of all of those documents?" Lydia bit her lip again and frowned.

"Do not worry, love. When I send a letter to Lord Triton to reveal what we know of his relationship with Miss Underwood, he will be forced to let all of these accusations drop. And Miss Underwood will no longer have any further opportunities to take what is rightfully Lydia's—my beastly heart." Joseph reached for Lydia's hands again and hoped she would feel his undying support through his touch.

Lydia giggled and gazed lovingly into his eyes as Bridget clapped with joy beside her.

"Your beastly heart has proved worthy of much more than I have given it credit for, my lord. And I am grateful for it." Lydia winked at Joseph.

"And I am excited for our wedding soon, my lady, because there are many more experiments I have been wanting to conduct with you for far too long!"

Bridget tilted her head with her eyebrows knit close together. "Experiments?"

"Never you mind about that, Bridget. And the viscount can wait until after the wedding to teach me more about how things work in his… private world."

Lydia grinned at Joseph as he slid the stack of pages from under his arm to cover his awakened groin. It had been an achingly long time since he and Lydia had shared the kind of intimacy that made his awkward appendage strain from stiffness in his breeches. How he would last until their wedding was more than his entire tingling body could comprehend.

The three of them began walking toward the house, where they needed to secure Bridget a room and they all needed a good night's rest.

"Where are you having the wedding, my lady?" Bridget asked as she held the door open for her mistress.

Joseph took Bridget's place holding the door and followed the women inside. "Yes, where are we having the wedding, love?"

Lydia turned around and smiled at them both. "We will be married where we met, of course! But I suggest you wear more than a tunic this time, my lord, or our days of outrunning scandal are far from over!"